First of all, we need that rapid force deployment capacity. What we are currently seeing in the case of Ukraine is that we do not have the industrial capacity to wage a high-intensity war over time. Nor do we have a rapid force deployment capacity on the ground. What's more, these capacities take an enormous amount of time to build up because we are living in a peacetime economy, and not a wartime economy.
However, as the saying goes, “If you want peace, prepare for war.” We need this type of capacity going forward in order to be able to deploy force and ideally, to not have to deploy it. The beauty of deterrence is that there would be such a fear of costs on Beijing's part that there would be no military intervention. If we could be sure that there would be an American intervention or that such an intervention would cost China dearly and would keep it from realizing its objectives, there would be no intervention. That is what we should be aiming for, i.e., this capacity for deterrence and threat of rapid deployment. The best way to realize this objective is to have credibility and the necessary capacity. Up until now, however, Canada has not had this capacity and has not shown any credibility, because to have a rapid deployment capacity, for example, it would have to participate in military exercises with its allies.